Capturing the Living Past: An Oral History
Primer

6. Getting Ready to Interview: Preliminary Steps

Now that I've made my plans and have
my equipment, how do I get ready for the interview?

First, do background research.

Successful oral history interviews depend on a well-prepared
interviewer. This begins with a review of existing sources of
information about your chosen interview topics. Remember that
your interviews are intended to uncover new information, something
that is not already known about your topic. Background
research will help you find out what is already known. Here are
some of the more common places to find such information:

Written histories in books or newspapers

Newspaper accounts

Diaries

Letters

Photographs

Maps

What is already on the record and where? Who said what and
why? Oral history interviews can collect new information to fill
in gaps in existing knowledge and to correct misinterpretations
or false information. Knowing what is on the record helps interviewers
and project directors determine themes to focus on in the interviews
so you will use the interview time to the best advantage.

What's a good strategy for keeping track
of all that I learn?

Develop a bibliography. As with any project that involves
ongoing reading and research, keep track of the materials you
use. When the interview or project is completed, this bibliography
will become part of the background material documenting its development.

Also, create a list of dates, places and names
related to the interview topics. Everyone involved in an oral
history interview can benefit from a master list of dates, place
names and proper names associated with the interview topics.
That helps everyone involved keep things straight. When the interview
or project is completed, this list will become part of the material
documenting its development.

What should I do with the background
research?

The background research is the best way to find out what's
already known about your subject, as well as what is not
already on the record.

Using the background research, you can develop a list of possible
topics or themes to cover with the interviewee. This becomes
the structure for the oral history question outline that will
guide the interview.

The topics or themes can be focused as needed. They should
stem from what the project is after, identifying areas where
more information is needed and areas where contradictions in
the existing record could be clarified. Some questions may be
asked to all narrators, and others may be limited to just one
or two narrators.

For example, using the Acme School Oral History Project
as an illustration, questions covering general memories about
closing the school will be common to all narrators. Specific
questions about how it affected the students will be asked of
the students, while school board members will be asked questions
related to how they made their decision. In other words, narrators
are asked to provide information from their own specific backgrounds
and knowledge.

In another example, if you already know you are going to interview
your grandmother and you know she grew up on a ranch in the Sandhills
of Nebraska during the Great Depression, your background research
might include some general reading about that era on the Great
Plains. Maybe you'll want to look up some census figures about
population trends in that time and place. If a local history
book or pamphlet ever was published, that would be a good source,
too.

What if I don't have a particular person
in mind to interview?

Doing the research and listing the specific interview topics
also helps to identify potential narrators. Thinking about the
types of information you want often leads to people most knowledgeable
about these subjects. They may be the best choices for narrators.

Choose narrators with a variety of backgrounds who reflect
all aspects of your interview topic. In the Acme School Oral
History Project example, project directors could choose to
interview people who both supported and opposed the school closing.
They also would want to interview students, teachers, school
administrators, community leaders (the mayor or someone from
the city council), school board members and the like. Each brings
a perspective that helps fill in the whole picture.

What if the research leads me to dozens
of potential narrators but I don't want to conduct that many
interviews?

Interviewers and project directors sometimes make the mistake
of planning for too many interviews. Preparing for, conducting,
and following up an interview takes about three working days
spread over about three weeks total time. Directors of larger
oral history projects often ask each interviewer to take on two
or three interviews and do them thoroughly beginning to end.

The number of interviews you can do depends on how much time
and resources are at your disposal, and the number of interviewers
available. Using a rule of thumb of two or three interviews per
interviewer, and factoring in the time it takes to complete an
interview, the time available, and the number of interviewers,
you should be able to arrive at a good estimate of how many interviews
you can realistically complete.

How should I assign interviewers to
potential narrators? Does it matter?

If you have more than one interviewer at your disposal, pairing
interviewers and narrators is an important decision. Both narrator
and interviewer bring a unique perspective and personality to
the interview. The combination will affect the outcome, making
each interview a one-of-a-kind product. Project directors should
put careful thought into interviewer-narrator pairs. Here are
some of the issues involved with pairing decisions:

Pairing younger interviewers with older narrators may work
extremely well, but may instead cause the narrator to withhold
information that he or she thinks the younger person wouldn't
understand.

Pairing men with women could have the same effect.

Some people are known to dislike or be uncomfortable with
one another, making an effective interview unlikely.

Some people are so close they would talk in shorthand, making
brief, casual references to people, places and events, and leaving
future listeners in the dark.